Over the years, DC Comics has introduced three major versions of Hourman. First introduced in March 1940's Adventure Comics #48, Rex Tyler was a scientist who created the 'super vitamin' Miraclo, which imbued him with enhanced strength and speed... but only for 60 minutes.

Rex's son Rick later assumed the Hourman mantle. At first possessing Miraclo-boosted abilities like his father, Tyler Jr later developed the power to see one hour into the future.

In the late '90s, an android Hourman with the capacity to manipulate time was introduced by writer Grant Morrison, but at the time of writing, Rick Tyler has reassumed his role of costumed hero and is an active member of the Justice Society of America...

Has Hourman appeared on TV before?

Despite remaining a rather small fish in DC's big ol' pond, Hourman has featured sporadically on television, appearing in animated form on both Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

The character's trademark hourglass also featured in an episode of Smallville, but the CW's planned series will mark Hourman's first major foray into series television.

TV's Hourman sounds a little like a combination of the Rex and Rick Tyler versions. A family man and pharmaceutical analyst, our hero has the ability to foresee tragic events from an hour into the future and tasks himself with averting said catastrophes, "finding both purpose and redemption along the way".

With all the usual caveats of 'the project is at an early stage and might not make it to pilot, let alone series', if things go well for Lin, Gwartz, Caleo and company then the earliest we'd be seeing Hourman is in fall 2014 - likely September.

There's also the possibility that the project could be held back until midseason - early 2015 - but given that this is likely to be a high-profile and reasonably high-budget series, The CW would likely want to push for a fall launch to ensure maximum exposure and a more substantial audience.

Are you excited for a TV series based on Hourman? Who should play the lead? Share your thoughts below!